Violence broke out during the dawn-to-dusk Bihar bandh called on Saturday by various student organisations to protest against the attacks on Biharis by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena activists in Mumbai, police sources said.

The day-long Bihar bandh was called by various student organisations, particularly AISA, the student wing of Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), an ultra Left party, to protest attacks on north Indian candidates during a railway recruitment examination in Mumbai.

Students ransacked Shekhpura railway station and delinked the engine of a passenger train on Saturday morning.

"Some students pelted stones at the police and totally disrupted rail traffic on the Kiul-Gaya railway line," a district official said.

The police used lathi charge and have taken half a dozen persons in custody after stones were pelted at them.

In Darbhanga, activists of the AISA ransacked Darbhanga railway station and tried to disrupt rail traffic. The police used lathicharge to disperse them.

Similar reports of violence are reaching Patna from Gaya, Nalanda, Bhojpur, Siwan and Muzaffarpur.

However, life in Patna is normal and till now there is no disruption of services owing to the bandh. Vehicles are plying and shops are open. The district administration has deployed additional police forces to take on trouble-makers during the bandh.

Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar said patrolling has been intensified and forces have been deployed at vital points to meet any eventuality.

Two days ago various student organisations gave a call for Bihar shutdown on October 25 to protest attacks by MNS activists in Mumbai.

On Friday, student wings of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Lok Janshakti Party withdrew from the strike.